A fiery cup at the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a mighty “Where goes Silver?” echoes across my front yard as the Sun tries to figure out where Texas is.
This may sound a bit melodramatic, but it mat have been the highlight of the day.
You see, Japan was up 2%, the Shanghai was down almost as much, and this morning the mumbletards of Eurabia are down over one percent.
That doesn’t bode well for ‘Merica , formerly a land of borders and common sense.
The Dow will open down a hundred and something and oil has been kicked back under $33 for West Texas and EU oil is down too.
In fact, if there’s anything good in this morning’s review of the futures, the price of copper (a fine little indicator of war jitters because countries are reloaders, too) is back down. So all the crap over the weekend about South China this, and new islands that is just filler between Iowa stories.
Say, Ted…
-Not to get off onto a side track so early in our morning cuppa, but did you see this Times of Israel note? “Now deeply Christian, Cruz’s fervor once wasn’t so obvious.”
And there’s this headline, too: Bible prominent in final Cruz pitches to voters.
So here’s the thing: I get that Ted is trying to work…I mean appeal to…the religious right.
I must be a little off, though, because Ure’s truly was under the impression that America held to the separation of Church and State.
Here’s the thing: I don’t have any problem with Ted being a Believer and all, BUT when politics and religion mix, its something to keep an eye on.
Seems to me the only difference between Christians and Muslims getting mixed into politics is which book they reference.
I’m sure the Texas senator has done the calculus on this, but beyond a certain point, there may be more moderates to be gained than Born Agains. Something to ponder, although it’s really too late.
I just go looking for where the church and state have merged and I come up with places like, oh, you know: Tehran.
Admittedly, on the other side, a large portion of America’s younger voters have no clue what “core values” are…but can we keep ‘em in separate buildings?
Our Lady of Teflon
No worries for the Teflon Lady, though. A former Inspector General says there will be no indictment.
You and I are not above the law, you see. But there are “somes that is”…and it’s what keeps America a bad joke in more mentally-honest countries.
I’m trying to work time into my schedule to write a book which might have a title along the lines of: Masters or Organization: Gotti and Clinton. You compare organizational geniuses you want, I’ll pick my own.
Side bets on a low-level bit of collateral damage will be all she wrote?
Personal Incomes and More Fairytales
Just out: Personal Income and Expenditures….a nearly incomprehensibly discontinuous report where the math never works out. Here: Hot off the press release:
“Personal income increased $42.5 billion, or 0.3 percent, and disposable personal income (DPI) increased $37.8 billion, or 0.3 percent, in December, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Personal consumption expenditures (PCE) decreased $0.7 billion, or less than 0.1 percent. In November, personal income increased $44.3 billion, or 0.3 percent, DPI increased $33.4 billion, or 0.2 percent, and PCE increased $59.4 billion, or 0.5 percent, based on revised estimates.
Real DPI increased 0.4 percent in December, compared with an increase of 0.2 percent in November. Real PCE increased 0.1 percent, compared with an increase of 0.4 percent.
Next, sprinkle some fairy dust:
Proprietors’ income increased $13.4 billion in December, in contrast to a decrease of $1.9 billion in November. Farm proprietors’ income decreased $0.3 billion, the same decrease as in November. Nonfarm proprietors’ income increased $13.8 billion in December, in contrast to a decrease of $1.6 billion in November.
Rental income of persons increased $3.3 billion in December, compared with an increase of $2.7 billion in November. Personal income receipts on assets (personal interest income plus personal dividend income) decreased $8.8 billion, compared with a decrease of $5.4 billion.
Now grab the crack pipe:
Personal saving — DPI less personal outlays — was $753.5 billion in December, compared with $717.8 billion in November. The personal saving rate — personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income — was 5.5 percent, compared with 5.3 percent.
Why did I say crack pipe? People tend not to think about “offishul” numbers much. But lookie here: America has 320-million people. And $753.5 billion is a little more than a hamburger for lunch at WhatABurger.
In fact, that’s $2,354.68 in savings for each and every one of 320-million people. See the problem? Of, sure, if you make preposterous assumptions about inflation and the value of the principal on the house or car…but even then it’s enough to send us to rehab trying to make sense of the numbers…
This will do jack about the markets this morning, but with the odds increasing that a bottom is in (until it falls out from under us, again) the following events are coming to spice up your week:
Tomorrow: Car sales and the Gallup Economic Confidence Indicator. No need to get up early for either one.
Wednesday ADP Employment which is a look-ahead number.
Thursday, Challenger Job cuts – a look-behinder as in “What just ran over us after pulled out from the economic shadows?”
Really, the only day with a statistical damn will be Friday with the Employment Situation, International Trade report and the Baker-Hughes Rig Count.
Pretty much everything else will be missable.
Coming to the Mainstream
Zika virus has gone viral…sorry, poor choice of words perhaps.
Still, the UK Mirror is asking “Was Zika outbreak caused by release of genetically modified mosquitoes in Brazil?”
I’ve got time slotted this week to model economic impacts…should be interesting – we’ll have that Peoplenomics readers this weekend.
Morning’s like this, I finally get in touch with why people withdraw into Second Life and Candy Crush and immerse themselves in pointless sporting events and 15th man squads or whatever those are…
George, as you probably know, the “separation of church and state” was an excerpt from a private letter by Thomas Jefferson. It is not in any of the foundationional documents. The language in the first amendment was to prohibit congress from elevating a Christian denomination to “official” status as per the church of England. There was never any intent to include non christian religions.
That’s an interesting point…and I certainly don’t have any problem with One Nation, Under God. As soon as we find it, of course…
The Founders said that our form of government would only function with a moral and religious population.
Now, we are mainly immoral and
irreligious, and people wonder why
things aren’t working.
Jim, in occupied Seattle.
Find One Nation? Or find God?
Inquiring minds have probably already found hints, at least, of God. As to our One Nation, we have yet to see.
Here’s wishin’ and hopin’.
I don’t report my charitable giving to the IRS either. It’s none of the government’s business.
check out Jon Rappoport on Zika virus about 42 min into program
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pE4JGF66GY
Any time in history where Religions meet the killings start.
Today in the center ring the Christians vs the allahists starring the new class of Belly Bombers and beheaders.
The Cruz family averaged well over $1 million per year in household income the five years from 2006 through 2010. They made a total of $44,000 in charitable contributions those years, and listed no churches as recipients of that charity.
You need to understand that part of what the clintons have done is to collect information. If Hillary is charged, she will release information that will dump dirt on about everyone in the government. This is known as grey mail, and has been a factor in every action against every government official in at least the last 10 years.
If this government can murder an unarmed citizen on a video that goes viral, dropping/burying charges against Clinton will cause barely a ripple in the public consciousness.
As Jim Willie says, treason is a requirement for high government office in the USA.
“BUT when politics and religion mix, its something to keep an eye on.”
However, could it be that ‘all of it’ is basically just a conflict between the two sexes? I know it’s thinking outside the box, nevertheless ;-).
George,
Your writing: “Seems to me the only difference between Christians and Muslims getting mixed into politics is which book they reference.” reveals you are incompetent to comment on such difference.
This is an example from Quran (8:12) – “I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them”.
Apparently UrbanSurvival casts a blind eye to our present national security. Three is no difference between the Cold War threat of Communism’s advocacy for violent overthrow of the U.S. government by the proletariat than the Islamic advocacy for overthrow of the U.S government by jihadists. The same result obtains, the end of the U.S. Constitution.
George, your comment I quoted above is profanation because you gave the Quran equivalence to the Bible. If you cannot recognize the primacy of the Bible in our Western traditions then you just might as well have equated the holy writing of the Aztecs regarding the god Quetzalcoatl to the Bible.
Regards,
DR
No George, the math goes like this: 310 million of us save nothing while the rest saved 75,000,000 each. See? it’s simple.
Although there are many religions that believe in different gods, they do, however, have a common belief. They all believe in—-MONEY!!!!
Great point – good reason to understand what money really is.. and the difference between money & currency (almost all of which is fiat)
George, I don’t understand why you continue to rant about Hillary’s emails. It doesn’t appear that our government’s servers are any more secure than her’s was, and regarding the 22 that were top-secret, per the article you referenced: “Mr. Kirby said that none of the emails had been marked at any level of classification at the time they were sent through Mrs. Clinton’s computer server.” Seems like it’s time to get off the BS and talk about some issues that really matter.
Ah… “what difference does it make?”